Railroad-crossing.



L.'SADLER & B. C. GECKLER.

RAILROAD CROSSING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.21| l9\4.

Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

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/Qw ATTORNEYS.

L. SADLER 6L R. C. GECKLER.

RAILROAD CROSSING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21. l9l4.

PatentedSept. 14, 1915.

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IN VEN TORS far/AFR 5H OLE/ BY dan ATTORNEYS.

'nivrrsn sra n'rnivr OFFRE RAILROAD-CROSSING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

Application filed March 21, 1914. Serial No. 826,209.

T all whom it may concern Be it known that we, LUTHER SADLER and i ROBERT C. GECKLER, citizens of the United States, and residents of Oakland, county of Alameda, and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Crossings, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to railroad crossings or structures at which one railroad track crosses another and is particularly adapted to the use of street railways.

The object of the invention is to provide acrossing in which a continuous rail tread is presented for travel on either track.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and sturdy construction which possesses small liability to become out of order.

Another obj ect Vof the invention is to provide a practical crossing for four intersecting lines of track such as is usually found in street railway crossings.

The invention possesses other advantageous features, which, with. the foregoing, will be set forth at length in the following description where we shall outline in full that form of the invention which we have selected for illustration in the drawings acn companying and forming part of the present specification. The novelty of the invention will be included in the claims succeeding said description. From this it rwill be apparent that we do not limit ourselves to the showing made by said drawings and decription as we may adopt many variations within the scope of our invention as set forth in said claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of a four track crossing, several of the rails being broken away to disclose the operative mechanism. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line A-A Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view of a section of nail showing the operating lever. Fig. s is a side view of a section of rail on a larger scale, the turntable or rotatable part being shown in` section.

In railway crossings as heretofore constructed, a transverse groove or slot must be provided in each rail to allow the flange on the wheel of a car traveling on the crossing rail to pass and this break or slot in the rail tread causes the cars to pound over the crossing, subjecting the crossing to excessive wear and producing discomfort on account of the noise and jarring of the car. In accordance with the present invention, a continuous tread is presented to the car passing over the crossing, thereby removing all of the objectionable features of the crossings a-s heretofore constructed.

ln Fig. 1 we have shown a four track crossing, the rails 2, 3, 4 and 5 extending in one direction and therails 6, 7 8 and 9 extending in another direction and crossing the first set of rails. The rails 2, 3 form track B; the rails il, 5, track C; the rails 6, 7 track D and the rails 8, 9 track E. At the intersection of each two rails, the rails are welded together or a steel casting is formed integral with the rails to reinforce the joint. The steel casting or block 12 preferably is of about one-half the depth of the rail and is somewhat larger than the intersecting upper surfaces of the rails. The rails shown are grooved rails, but it is to be understood that the' invention applies to all rails whether or not they are provided with a groove in which the flange of the wheel is disposed.

Each steel block 12 is formed with a cylindrical depression or seat therein, and in this seatl is arranged a turntable or rotatable member 13 which is provided on its upper surface with a tread portion 14C and a groove 15 in which the wheel flange moves. One of these turntables is arranged at the intersection of each two rails and the turntables are so arranged that they may be rotated about vertical axes so that the tread' and groove portions thereof will be alined with the tread and groove portions of either set of rails. That is, the turntables may be turned so that tracks B and C present continuous rails or so that tracks D and E present continuous rails.

Each steel block 12 is provided with a seat, the diameter of the lower portion of which is less than the diameter of the upper portion. Arranged in the lower portion of the seat is a shell 16, which extends upward lar chamber 17 between itself and the walls of the seat. The inner face of the bottom of the shell 16 is formed to provide a race for the roller bearings 18 upon which the turntable rests. The turntable is formed with a top portion of substantially the same diameter as the diameter of the upper portion of the seat and the upper face et the turntable lies flush with the upper surface of the block 12. The body portion of the turntable fits within the shell 1G, and its bottom face is formed to provide a race l'or the roller bearings. Between the top portion and body portion of the turntable is an annular groove 19 in which engages a removable bolt or pin 21 which extends through the wall ofthe block 12, to prevent the accidental unseating of the turntable. Any dirt which passes downward through the crack between the turntable and the block is caught in the annular space 17 and is thereby prevented from coming in contact with the bearings. The turntables, however, may be removed occasionally and the bearings cleaned of any dirt which may have entered them. Y

Each turntable is provided at its lower portion with a central shank or shaft 22 which projects through the lower wall 01"' the block 12 and to which is keyed a gear or pinion 23. The turntables are rotated by means of racks engaging the gears which will now be described.

Arranged in one rail of each track at a slight distance, approximately a few feet, from the intersection of the tracks is a shoe or lever 24 which is placed so that it will be engaged by the wheel of the car approaching the crossing. lVhen the turntables are set to produce continuous rails for one set of tracks, the shoes on these tracks are depressed and the shoes on the other tracks are raised. Mounted on the web of the track below each shoe is a sprocket 25 to which the shoe is connected by means of a link 26. Engaging the sprocket is a chain 27, to the ends of which are attached rods 28 and 29 which extend across the crossing and are attached to a similar chain engaging the sprocket at that side of the crossing. The rod 28 is provided with a plurality of rack sections 31 engaging the pinions 23. A shoe is arranged in one rail of each track and means are provided interconnecting all of the turntables, so that the depression of one shoe causes all of the turntables in the crossing to move at the same time. Each rack rod 28 engages all of the turntables in that rail and on account of the intersecting rails, the majority of the turntables are engaged by two racks. For the purpose oi clarity inthe drawings, the rack rods c ooperating directly with tracks D and E will be designated by the numeral 28 and those cooperating directly with tracks B and C' will be designated by the numerals 28a. 1n

order to interconnect all of the turntables, rack rods 32 arranged along the outer rails of one pair of tracks (for instance tracks D and E) are provided, which mesh with the pinions. The rack rods are preferably supported on the rail webs by brackets or clips 33.

A shoe 21- is preferably arranged on each track at opposite sides of the intersection so that the turntables may be set by the movement of the car in either direction along the track. A hand lever 34 may be arranged in the roadway adjacent each sprocket so that the turntables may be set by the movement of the lever when desired.

Assuming that a car approaches the crossing along track C, the wheel of the car coming in contact with the shoe in the rail 4 of said track, if said shoe is raised, depresses the shoe, thereby moving all of the turntables to present continuous rails in tracks B and A car approaching the crossing along tracks D or E operates the apparatus to present continuous rails in said tracks.

Electrically operated means may also be employed for operating the turntables, particularly when the crossing is arranged in an electric car line. In such arrangement the rods 28 and 28n may be connected to the cores of electrcmagnets which are energized as the car approaches the crossing or to electric motors, which are thrown into circuit by the approach of the car.

Vile claim:

1. The combination with two intersecting railroad rails, of an integral steel block of less depth than the depth of the rail formed at said intersection, a turntable having a. grooved upper surface seated in said block, a shank on said turntable extending through the lower wall of said block and a pinion secured to said shank.

2. The combination with two intersecting railroad rails, of an integral steel block formed at said intersection, said block being provided with a cylindrical seat, a shell arranged in said seat, a turntable arranged in said shell, anti-friction bearings arranged between said turntable and shell, and means for rotating said turntable.

3. The combination with two intersecting railroad rails, of an integral steel block formed at said intersection, said block being provided with a cylindrical seat of two diameters, the part of smaller diameter occurring at the lower portion of the seat, a cylindrical shell seated in said smaller diameter portion and projecting above the upper edge thereof, a turntable seated in said shell having an upper portion overlying said shell, anti-friction bearings arranged between said turntable and shell, and means for rotating said turntable.

4. The combination with two intersecting railroad rails, of an integral steel block formed at said intersection, a seat in said set our hands at Oakland, California, this block, a turntable arranged in said Seat, 14th day of March 1914.

said turntable being provided with a cir- LUTHER SADLER. cumferential groove, a pin engaging in said ROBERT C. GECKLER. 5 block and extending into said groove, and In presence ofmeans for rotating said turntable. GEO. F. HUGHES, In testimony whereof, We have hereunto H. B. KINCAID.

'opies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

